Sally Little
| Sally Little | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | 12 October 1951 Cape Town, South Africa | ||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||
| Sporting nationality | File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa File:Flag of the United States (23px).png United States | ||||
| Career | |||||
| Turned professional | 1971 | ||||
| Former tour | LPGA Tour (1971–2005) | ||||
| Professional wins | 15 | ||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||
| LPGA Tour | 15 | ||||
| Best results in LPGA major championships (wins: 2) | |||||
| Titleholders C'ship | T13: 1972 | ||||
| Chevron Championship | T5: 1984 | ||||
| Women's PGA C'ship | Won: 1980 | ||||
| U.S. Women's Open | T2/2nd: 1978, 1986 | ||||
| du Maurier Classic | Won: 1988 | ||||
| Women's British Open | DNP | ||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||
| |||||
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Sally Little (born 12 October 1951) is a South African-born professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1971 and won 15 LPGA Tour events, including two major championships, during her career. In 2016, she became the first female golfer from South Africa inducted into the South African Hall of Fame.
Early life
[edit | edit source]Little was born in Cape Town. As a girl, Gary Player encouraged her to play golf. Little originally resisted but after she broke her leg at the age of 15 golf was the only sport she could play. She began playing golf the following year. Little told The Plain Dealer, "Gary encouraged me when I was 13, but I didn't listen until I was 16. I broke my leg when I was 15 and could only play golf and became interested."[1]
Amateur career
[edit | edit source]She was the low individual at the 1970 World Amateur Team Championship and won the South African Match Play and Stroke Play titles that same year. As an amateur, she tied for fifth at the 1971 Lady Carling Open.
Professional career
[edit | edit source]Little joined the LPGA Tour in 1971 and was named LPGA Rookie of the Year. Her first professional win was at the 1976 Women's International. Little holed a shot from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole to edge Jan Stephenson by one shot.[2]
Little's best season was 1982, when she finished third on the money list. That year, in August, she also became a United States citizen.
She has won 15 times on the tour, including two major championships, the 1988 du Maurier Classic and the 1980 LPGA Championship.
Awards and honors
[edit | edit source]- In 1989, she earned the Ben Hogan Award from the Golf Writers Association of America
- In 2000, she was recognized during the LPGA's 50th Anniversary in 2000 as one of the LPGA's top-50 players and teachers.
- In 2016, she was inducted into the South African Hall of Fame[3]
Professional wins
[edit | edit source]LPGA Tour (15)
[edit | edit source]| Legend |
|---|
| LPGA Tour major championships (2) |
| Other LPGA Tour (13) |
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Note: Little won the Nabisco Dinah Shore Invitational (now known as the Kraft Nabisco Championship) before it became a major championship.
LPGA Tour playoff record (4–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1978 | Kathryn Crosby/Honda Civic Classic | United States Nancy Lopez | Won with par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1981 | Elizabeth Arden Classic | United States JoAnne Carner United States Judy Rankin |
Won with par on third extra hole Carner eliminated by par on second hole |
| 3 | 1981 | CPC Women's International | United States Hollis Stacy United States Kathy Whitworth |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1982 | Arizona Copper Classic | Japan Ayako Okamoto | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 5 | 1982 | United Virginia Bank Classic | United States Kathy Whitworth | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 6 | 1986 | U.S. Women's Open | United States Jane Geddes | Lost 18-hole playoff (Geddes:71, Little:73) |
Major championships
[edit | edit source]Wins (2)
[edit | edit source]| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | LPGA Championship | −3 (69-70-73-73=285) | 3 strokes | United States Jane Blalock |
| 1988 | du Maurier Classic | −9 (74-65-69-71=279) | 1 stroke | England Laura Davies |
Team appearances
[edit | edit source]Amateur
- Espirito Santo Trophy (representing South Africa): 1970
Professional
- Handa Cup (representing World team): 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 (tie)
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Sand Trap shot wins for Little
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Sally Little at the LPGA Tour official site
- Sally Little at the Legends Tour official site (also at former site)
- Sally Little at golf.about.com at the Wayback Machine (archived 11 November 2007)